The Collaborative Economy Based Analysis of Demand: Study of Airbnb Case in Spain and Portugal

Pedro R. Palos-Sanchez, Marisol B. Correia
2018 Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research  
The rise of the collaborative economy has just started to become a reality in the economy of the countries in the European Union. The aim of this article is to use Goal -Question -Metric methodology to verify that the rise of Internet searches has an impact on collaborative economy. Specifically, Airbnb was the collaborative economy service analyzed. The demonstration was carried out with a statistical analysis of the Internet searches, looking at their evolution in Spain, Portugal and USA over
more » ... the past 10 years. A working hypothesis was also defined to test whether the demand for information about Airbnb has a positive influence on the total spending of tourists who booked apartments in Spain during the period between July 2015 and August 2016. The results lead us to make a projection of growth for Airbnb service in the coming years. The case studied is very representative of this economic model, even though there is a large number of lesser-known websites. Finally, the results corroborate previous studies that defend that tools for studying trends and correlations of search terms are techniques that help decision making in studies and market research. The redefinition of the relationships within markets is conditioned by a change in the roles between sellers and buyers, by the expansion of the models of transaction and consumption and by how all this affects the business models and the business and technology ecosystems. In this way, today a market trend is emerging in all exchanges of goods and services between people, replacing the traditional business to consumer economic model. This trend is defined as Collaborative Economics, i.e., as an economic model where ownership and access are shared between companies, startups and consumers. This translates into a market of efficiency, which aims to efficiently offer new products and services [47] . The immediate precedent of this economy is found in collaborative consumption, sometimes called economy of exchange, and the peer-to-peer movement. Collaborative, cultural and economic consumption is the force that is transforming business, consumerism, and the way we live. With the onset of the economic crisis, the collaborative economy boomed and the continued growth of users of these services began [62] . Recent changes in our economic climate, especially the recent crisis, have intensified this phenomenon. Businesses and organizations are redefining the way goods and services are valued and exchanged. The concept of collaborative consumption became popular with the publication of the book What's Mine Is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption [13] . This new phenomenon started to be detected in various sectors, but those with exceptional growth are the financial, tourism and technological sectors. Collaborative consumption is defined as: The use of marketplaces or online web stores and social networks for easier peer-to-peer interchanges, i.e. to share resources (e.g, space, money, goods, skills or services) among individuals who play both the role of providers and consumers [10] . Collaborative consumption is developed under three systems [13]:  Product-service systems, where the consumer pays for, but does not acquire the property;  Redistribution markets, where the transfer or exchange of used goods occurs;  Collaborative life styles where people who share interests and a common philosophy of life connect to share and exchange intangible resources such as time, space, skills, and money [19] . this economic model and its causes. It is therefore an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon in a real life context and where multiple sources of evidence are used [69] . Tables 3 and 4 show the parameters obtained from the various regressions compiled with software Gretl. The results confirm the hypothesis presented in this paper. Therefore, we can confirm that Hi: Internet searches have a positive influence on the total spending by tourists who book holiday apartments.
doi:10.4067/s0718-18762018000300105 fatcat:glrrsuv5lfby5cwd4kkcwy2jd4